See No Evil
by gladrags2012
Summary: How do you defend yourself against an attacker you can't see ? The team are turned upside down and have to work outside their comfort zones to defeat a new enemy.
1. Chapter 1

**How do you defend yourself against an enemy you can't see ? The team are turned upside down by events and everyone has to work outside their comfort zone to win the latest battle. This story follows on from 'Leaps and Bounds'.**

"This place gives me the creeps !" complained Aneisha. "Why is it always dark ? I can't believe KORPS can have armies of thugs, run huge industrial complexes, but they can't afford a few lightbulbs !"

"I think they like the dark," answered Dan. "Like cockroaches."

"I hope you're concentrating team," warned Frank. He knew they were nervous, but he wanted their minds on watching for danger.

"It's not like it's double geography Frank," replied Dan. "Believe me, I am concentrating !"

Zoe's voice entered into the frame for the first time. "I haven't found anything so far Frank. Are you sure this is supposed to be a huge KORPS operation. There's nothing and nobody here !" she said, sounding puzzled.

"I have to admit Frank, there's absolutely no sign of life," agreed Aneisha. "How about you Dan ?" she asked.

"Nothing. Not a footprint, nothing. There's no dust, which is a bit weird though," commented Dan.

"There must have been someone there recently then if there's no dust," said Frank. "I have no idea why, but they have always been clean freaks in KORPS," he added.

"Maybe the Crime Minister has asthma," suggested Tom. Frank looked over at Tom. Tom shrugged. "Just a thought," he said smiling. Frank raised his eyebrows and turned back to his screen where he could see the trackers on Zoe, Aneisha and Dan spread out through the complex. Three separate screens showed head camera views from each of the agents. They showed empty corridors and empty rooms. There was no sign of life.

Zoe and Aneisha had almost reached the outer limit of the complex building in their search directions. Dan wasn't far off. "OK, Zoe and Aneisha, you may as well start making your way back," said Frank. He ran his fingers through his hair. The intelligence had been very specific. He couldn't believe there was nothing at this location. It had all the hallmarks of a KORPS installation, except, of course, the people.

"What about me ?" asked Dan.

"You may as well check out that last corridor," said Frank. "Just in case."

"OK. On it," said Dan. "What the .." There was a crashing noise and then static on the screen as Dan's connection was broken.

"What just happened ?" said Tom, sounding worried. "Dan ? Dan can you hear me ?" he asked. They could hear the tension in Tom's voice rising.

"Dan ? Respond !" instructed Frank. "Zoe, Aneisha, I need you to converge on Dan's position. We've lost contact with him. Be careful !" ordered Frank. The video images from Zoe's and Aneisha's head cameras showed the scene of them running through the corridor's to Dan's last known position.

Aneisha arrived first. She found Dan lying on the ground beside a wall. He was unconscious and his arm lay at a funny angle. "Frank ! He's hurt !" called out Aneisha. She caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of her eye. "What ! Is that you Zoe ?" she asked nervously. As she looked round she could have sworn that something had moved, but she couldn't see anything. Now really nervous she stood staring all around her, only for Zoe to arrive on the scene. She gasped when she saw Dan lying on the ground.

"Is he alright ?" asked Zoe, the fear obvious in her voice.

"Oh, I don't know," said Aneisha, confused. She knelt down beside Dan and felt his neck for a pulse. It was beating steadily. "Yes, he's OK. Someone must have attacked him and knocked him out. Frank we need a medical evacuation !" she instructed.

"Already on it's way. Stay where you are," instructed Frank. "Stay together, and stay alert you two. Whoever attacked Dan may still be there."

MI9 agents and a medical team arrived not long afterwards. The agents swept the rest of the building only to confirm what the MI High agents had discovered. There was nothing there. Dan was taken to the MI9 medical facility. It took Aneisha most of the journey to the hospital to reassure a distraught Zoe that Dan would be fine. They met Tom and Frank at the hospital. She handed Dan's broken headset to Tom. He stared at it in his hand, and shivered slightly. "How did they get out ?" Aneisha asked Frank. "There were no exits on that side of the building and Zoe and I were covering the other routes out."

Frank shook his head. "I don't know. There was nobody there. I can't understand it."

They were eventually allowed in to see Dan for a short time once he had come round. There was a small cut and a large bruise forming on his forehead. His left arm lay in a plaster cast at his side. He looked confused and uncomfortable.

"Dan ? How are you feeling," asked Frank quietly.

Dan blinked at him and mumbled, "Um, OK. Head hurts,"

"Did you see who attacked you ?" asked Frank slowly and carefully.

Dan shook his head very slightly. "Nobody," he muttered. At this point a doctor came into the room and said they should leave. Dan needed rest to get over the concussion. As they were filing quietly out of the room, Tom heard Dan say his name. He turned and Dan gestured him back over with his right hand.

"What is it Dan ?" Tom asked gently.

Dan leaned towards him urgently. "Tom," he whispered, making Tom lean closer to hear him. "It was the wall. The wall reached out and hit me," he murmured. Exhausted, Dan sank back into his pillows and closed his eyes. Tom stood stunned at what he had just heard. Had he heard Dan correctly ? The wall had hit him ?

"Tom ! Come on, let Dan rest now !" said Frank, sticking his head back into the room. Tom hurried out after the others. He wasn't sure whether to tell them what Dan had just told him. He decided he wouldn't, not until he had done some investigating of his own.

In an icy, clean room in KORPS Headquarters, the Crime Minister was reporting to the Mastermind. "The Stage two test is complete Mastermind. MI9 took our bait. They don't know what hit them. Literally !" crowed the Crime Minister. "One of their agents has been neutralised."

"Excellent. Proceed to Stage 3 !" ordered the Mastermind.


	2. Chapter 2

**How do you defend yourself against an enemy you can't see ? The team are turned upside down by events and everyone has to work outside their comfort zone to win the latest battle.**

_In an icy, clean room in KORPS Headquarters, the Crime Minister was reporting to the Mastermind. "The Stage two test is complete Mastermind. MI9 took our bait. They don't know what hit them. Literally !" crowed the Crime Minister. "One of their agents has been neutralised."_

"_Excellent. Proceed to Stage 3 !" ordered the Mastermind._

Tom spent his lunch break the next day going over the footage recorded by Dan's headset. Frustratingly, the video stream cut out at the moment of impact. There was no view of who, or what, had attacked Dan. Tom sat slumped in front of the computer wondering what to do next. The lift doors opened and Aneisha walked in.

"I thought I might find you here," she said. "Still trying to work out what happened yesterday ?"

Tom sighed and nodded. "There's nothing on the video feed to back up what Dan told me," he said.

"What did he tell you ?" asked Aneisha curiously.

"He said the wall reached out and hit him," said Tom.

"What ?" squeaked Aneisha. "He did have concussion you know. He could have imagined all sorts of things," she warned.

"Yeah ? And how often have you heard the words 'Dan' and 'overactive imagination' in the same sentence ?" asked Tom.

"OK. You may have a point," admitted Aneisha. She pointed to the broken headset lying on the table beside Tom. "What about that ? Will there be anything on there ?" she asked.

"Aneisha, you're a genius !" said Tom, looking delighted.

Aneisha looked smug, swinging her chair from side to side. "Well, it has been said," she said.

"There's a memory buffer in the headset. It might have more footage that never made it over to us," explained Tom.

"Oh, I knew that !" said Aneisha. Tom was too busy trying to make a connection to the broken headset to reply.

Finally, he managed to get some video shots on to his computer. He ran them through. Tom and Aneisha craned close to the screen to watch. The video played an empty corridor, then a streak of Dan being thrown sideways. They saw a twisting picture as the headset fell to the floor. Finally it turned to face the wall behind Dan. "There ! What is that ?" asked Tom.

"That's weird. What was that ?" asked Aneisha. "Play it again," she asked Tom. Tom played it several times, slowing the frame rate down each time. Finally they watched the last few frames in slow motion. "There are lines on the wall, and then they're gone," said Aneisha, sounding baffled.

"I think something is settling back into hiding in the wall. Dan was right. Something came out of the wall and threw him across the corridor," said Tom in a steely voice. They looked at each other and spoke in unison, "Odysseus !"

"What about Odysseus ?" asked Frank's voice.

"Frank, we think we know what attacked Dan," said Tom. He ran the video frames again for Frank to watch. "Dan said the wall reached out and hit him," said Tom. "I needed to find out something before I told you," he explained.

Frank rubbed his chin. "We need to go back to that installation and check the area again," he said. "I'm going to ask MI9 to check it out for us. You have classes," he instructed. Tom and Aneisha checked their watches and dashed over to the lift.

"Let us know what happens won't you Frank," asked Tom. Frank promised he'd let them know as soon as he heard back from MI9.

Tom struggled to concentrate on his lessons that afternoon. Aneisha was surprised to be approached by Melissa. "Is it true that Dan had another skateboarding accident ?" Mellisa asked her.

"Um, yeah. Quite a bad one apparently. Knocked himself out and broke his arm," said Aneisha.

"Boy, he really needs to get a new hobby," said Melissa. "Skateboarding sounds way too dangerous !" Aneisha had to agree.

At the end of the day, Tom and Aneisha told Zoe what they had found out. They hung back as everyone else left and sure enough their pencil communicators started flashing.

Down in their base, Frank was looking grim. "You were right Tom. Look at what MI9 found in that corridor," he said, running some footage on the big screen.

They watched as a scene played out in front of them, accompanied by an agent's voice. "This is the scene of the attack. Here is the blood on the wall where Agent Morgan made contact," the unseen voice said. "And here is the opposite wall," they said. There were gasps in the room as the previously smooth wall showed an oddly-shaped hollow of straight and rectangular lines. "Something has been concealed in this wall," said the voice. Frank closed the video.

"An all points warning has been issued to all agents. This looks like Odysseus technology has been used to created concealed automata. That device was invisible to everyone once it was inside the wall," said Frank. "Did you notice anything ?" he asked Zoe and Aneisha. Zoe shook her head.

"Well, I thought I caught a movement in the corner of my eye, but I couldn't be sure," said Aneisha. "I thought it was just my imagination," she added.

"You're lucky you weren't attacked too," said Frank. "Perhaps it was the arrival of Zoe which put it off. Dan was picked out because he was alone."

The team stood in silence for a minute. "Right, until this threat has been neutralised, you're to do field work in pairs at all times, understood ?" demanded Frank. Zoe, Aneisha and Tom all nodded.

"We should tell Dan," said Zoe. "He'll be wondering if he imagined it all," she added.

There was no problem telling their parents they were visiting Dan in hospital. They gathered round his bed later that evening. Dan was looking a lot better and could hold a conversation. Tom explained what he had found on the headset video record. "I though I must have imagined it," said Dan. "It was just tiny glimpse," he explained, trailing off.

"It was superbly camouflaged Dan. None of our agents saw it, and they searched and scanned the building for any sign of activity," said Frank. "My concern is what KORPS are planning to do next."

"What do you mean ?" asked Zoe.

"What happened to Dan had all the hallmarks of a test run," said Frank. "KORPS were seeing if they could take out agents with that device."

"I'm not going to be much use with this," complained Dan, nodding at his plaster cast.

"You are off active duty for at least six weeks," said Frank in a tone of voice which brooked no argument.

"Oh no ! Six weeks !" groaned Dan.

"Then you're going to have to get back to full fitness," said Frank. Dan stared at the ceiling in despair.

"Can't I do anything ?" asked Dan.

"Well, when you get out of hospital, you could help Tom in HQ," said Frank. Dan and Tom looked at one another.

"Oh," said Tom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, but I had to have a bit of fun with that plaster cast. The more I thought about it the worse it got. Also thankyou for the reviews. It's easier to write when you know someone is reading.**

"_Can't I do anything ?" asked Dan._

"_Well, when you get out of hospital, you could help Tom in HQ," said Frank. Dan and Tom looked at one another._

"_Oh," said Tom._

Two days later, Dan was released from hospital with instructions not to get too tired. Dan was going mad with the enforced inactivity. He hadn't been allowed to do anything in hospital and he was fed up with lying around. Even school seemed an improvement as he walked into St. Hearts with his school bag slung over his good arm and the broken arm in its sling under the school blazer.

Mr. McNab paused as he called out the register. "Daniel Morgan !" he called. Dan replied. "Mr. Morgan, I understand this is the result of your latest skateboarding exploits !" said Mr. McNab, pointing to Dan's cast. Dan nodded. He'd guessed he was going to get some serious grief over this. "Mr. Morgan, have you ever considered stamp collecting, or possibly bird watching as a hobby ?" asked Mr. McNab. "I think you should seriously consider taking up something you are more suited to," continued Mr. McNab. "This is your third serious accident in two months. Plainly, skateboarding is not your forte," he finally finished.

Dan breathed a sigh of relief as the teacher moved on down the register. When the first lesson finished, Dan found himself surrounded by classmates, eager to hear how he had broken his arm. Within minutes the plaster cast was covered in signatures and various graffiti. Zoe smiled at him and he shrugged.

Dan struggled through the rest of the day. Everything was more difficult from simply putting his books away in his bag, to opening his locker. Collecting and eating lunch was a trial. By the end of lunch break he was exhausted and his broken arm was throbbing. He was sitting at the lunch table with his head in his good hand wondering how he was going to make it through the rest of the day, when Mr. McNab came up to him. Dan steeled himself for some more ridicule.

"Daniel, do you have any pain killers ?" asked Mr. McNab.

Dan shook his head. "I left them at home," he explained. "I didn't think I'd need them."

"OK. Here's what we'll do," said Mr. McNab. "I'll give you a pass out. You go home, take some painkillers and get some rest this afternoon. Tomorrow bring the painkillers into school and leave them with the school nurse. You can take some when you need to, alright ?" he asked.

Dan nodded miserably. "Thanks Mr. McNab," he said quietly.

"Not a problem. Come to my office and I'll write you out a pass," said Mr. McNab, taking his dinner tray back to the servery. Dan followed suit and then came back for his bag before saying goodbye to the others and following Mr. McNab out of the lunch hall.

"Well, you see something new every day !" said Aneisha in amazement. "Mr. McNab being nice ! What next ? Mr. Flatley Morris dancing to Drum and Base ?" The others laughed at the idea.

"Dan did look really tired," said Zoe. "I think his arm hurts." She looked wistfully to the door where Dan had left as Aneisha and Tom looked at one another and rolled their eyes.

"Why don't you two do something about it ?" pleaded Aneisha.

"About what ?" asked Zoe, looking baffled. Tom and Aneisha sighed and got up to leave. Zoe looked after them, completely clueless."What ?" she said.

The following day, the team's communicators went off at morning break. As he stepped out of the lift, Dan found his uniform changed, but his arm still in its cast and sling. Considering how much time it had taken him to get showered and dressed that morning, he was seriously impressed. He wondered if he could ask Frank for a lift system to take home with him. He could do with some help in the morning.

"Ah team. Is something the matter Dan ?" asked Frank, watching Dan staring at his clothes as if he'd never seen them before.

"Hm ? Oh, no. It's fine," said Dan, joining the others at Frank's desk.

"Good, well MI9 have concluded that KORPS have further developed their Odysseus technology to build concealed weapons which can be hidden in buildings and walls. It appears that we were fed intelligence to make us search the building so they could test it on us," announced Frank.

"It works," said Dan.

"Well yes. From now on, MI9 and all of you are on high alert. The technical team are trying to come up with some means of detecting these devices, but until they do, all agents are to work in pairs and keep alert for a possible attack," said Frank.

"We always were alert for a possible attack, weren't we ?" asked Zoe.

"Not by the wall," said Dan. "I have to admit, I wasn't alert to that."

"Dan is right. This attack could come from the wall, the ceiling, from the furniture even," said Frank.

"I haven't got 360 degree vision !" complained Aneisha. "How am I supposed to keep my eyes looking at everything ?"

"Well, that's the point of working in pairs," said Frank patiently. "You can each cover 180 degrees can't you ?"

"I suppose I could put a camera on top of your head, with some sort of pattern recognition software to look for possible attacks from above, but I'm not entirely sure what it needs to be looking for," said Tom.

"What ? Seriously you want us to walk around with cameras sitting on top of our heads ?" said Aneisha, incredulous. "You have got to be kidding !"

"Would you rather have this ?" asked Dan, pointing to his plaster cast.

"Can I have one that covers my whole body ?" asked Aneisha. "I'd be bullet proof !"

"You also wouldn't be able to move," pointed out Tom.

"I'm only kidding !" said Aneisha.

"Alright, come on people. Seriously, we have nothing to protect you against this threat except your training and sticking together. If you can think of anything else sensible, I'm happy to hear it," said Frank, sounding frustrated. There was silence around the room. Nobody had any better ideas.

Break was finishing so everyone piled back into the lift to go back up to school. Dan arrived at the top to find he was wearing his blazer around his plaster cast and the sling was on the outside. "Oh man ! What happened ?" he demanded. The others broke into giggles. Eventually they managed to help him take off the blazer, sliding it carefully over the plaster cast and get the sling back on inside his blazer. They only just made it to class on time. Luckily it was Mr. Flatley who never noticed much of what was going on anyway.

The next day they were called down to HQ at lunch time. Dan arrived to find that all of his clothes had been put on around the plaster cast and the sling was on his other arm. "Oh no ! Now what am I going to do ?" he asked. Frank looked over at him curiously.

"Ooh, that's gone a bit wrong hasn't it ?" Frank said. Dan looked at him in disbelief.


	4. Chapter 4

How do you defend yourself against an enemy you can't see ? The battle gets serious. Thanks to doctorwhofan4eva and llamasinflyingtractors and anyone else who has reviewed.

"_Ooh, that's gone a bit wrong hasn't it ?" Frank said. Dan looked at him in disbelief._

"A bit ? I'm stuck inside these clothes. There's no way I'm going to be able to get this jacket off. It's stuck tight, look !" said Dan, tugging at the sleeve. It barely moved over the plaster cast.

"I think we'll have to cut it off," said Frank. "Can it wait a minute ? I need to brief you," he added. Zoe helped Dan take the sling off his right arm and transfer it over to the broken one so that at least his arm was supported. When they were finished, Frank began the briefing.

"Right everyone, there's been a further development. An MI9 raid on a suspected KORPS building was foiled by an unseen attacker. The agents were following the new protocol and working in pairs. In spite of this one pair was attacked. One of the agents was badly injured and one of the agents was killed by an unseen attacker," explained Frank. There was silence in the room as the team took this news in. Zoe glanced over at Dan anxiously. She realised now that things could have been much worse.

"What happened ?" asked Dan. Tom moved over to the big screen and started to pull up files.

"Let's have a look at the mission recordings," said Tom. After a few moments they started watching the film taken by the agents' headsets. They were walking through an open plan office space filled with screens and desks. They could hear the agents' voices as well as see what they were seeing.

"Keep your eyes peeled Matt," said a woman's voice. "There's so much stuff in here, I can't watch everything."

"Yes. I know what you mean," said Matt's voice. There was a hissing noise. "What the … ?" shouted Matt. The woman screamed and her headset showed a violent sweep across the room before it stopped recording. Matt's view turned to see a metal bar swinging towards him. He dodged from side to side before the bar swung at his headset, knocking it off his head. The final view from the camera was of a large stilted looking contraption, swinging it's arms downwards at something, or someone, on the floor. Frank reached over and cut off the footage.

"That's enough team," said Frank quietly. The four agents sat in shocked silence. They realised they had just witnessed someone's murder. "I'm sorry you had to watch that," Frank apologised, rubbing his face.

"Did you know them ?" Dan asked quietly. Frank nodded, sadly. "Sorry Frank," said Dan, who looked shocked.

Frank just shook his head. "Tom, is there anything you can do with that footage ?" he asked.

"What about that hissing noise ?" asked Aneisha. "You could hear it just before the attack."

"That's right," agreed Tom. "It sounded like it could be hydraulics or something. Give me a mo'," he said. Tom started typing frantically at his computer. Aneisha say by him, watching what he was pulling up on the screen. "Need to identify the source of the noise," muttered Tom.

Dan stepped away from Tom. He couldn't help and he needed to work out how to get out of his clothes. His hand was shaking slightly as he undid his jacket zip.

"Are you alright Dan ?" Frank asked him quietly. Dan nodded, but didn't say anything. He was staring fixedly at his clothes. Zoe went to help him pull the jacket off his good arm. It was a close fit, but Dan managed to twist sufficiently to get it off. Zoe tried to pull it over the plaster cast, but Dan's hiss of pain made her stop immediately. "We'll have to cut it off," said Frank. He got a pair of scissors out of a drawer and started cutting up the sleeve of the jacket. Finally they got it free. Underneath was a long-sleeved black shirt. Frank cut up the sleeve of that as well. This left Dan with no shirt on and the, now greenish, bruising along his rib cage visible to all of them.

"Ooh. That looks sore," said Zoe.

"At least I'm alive," said Dan simply.

"I'll find you a shirt to put on," said Frank. He left the room and came back a minute later with a large black T-shirt. "This should be pretty easy to get on," he said. Dan pulled one sleeve over his cast and then pulled the rest on himself. Frank fixed up the sling for him again. The T-shirt was very baggy on Dan, but he'd lost interest in being fashionable for now in favour of convenience.

"Does this place have stairs ?" Dan asked Frank.

"Yes. Lots !" said Frank. "Tom, how are you getting on ?" he asked.

"Okaaay," said Tom. "We have identified the hissing sound. It is gas hydraulics, so these machines are hydraulically driven. Aneisha and I have also been going through the footage to try and work out where the machine was hiding. We think there is an odd-looking chair which is visible when the two agents are moving through the office, but it's not there when they're being attacked. That's as far as we can tell. With the camera sweeping about so much, it's quite hard to tell," he said.

"Can you show us the chair ?" asked Frank. Tom moved the video to a particular still and paused it so they could see what they were talking about. There was a 70s style chair with metal rods for arms and legs, and a large padded section for a seat. "I see what you mean. Do those arms match with the metal rod used at the end of the video ?" asked Frank. Tom ran some image comparison software.

"Yes, it's the same thing. That chair is the Odysseus device," said Tom. He sat back in his chair and swung round to face Frank and the others. "Now what do we do ?" he asked.

"Well, first of all we tell HQ because you've got further than they have," said Frank. He was starting to sound more positive now that they had some information to work on. "Is that hissing noise of the hydraulics unique enough to identify ?" he asked Tom.

"I'm not sure. It could be any hydraulics," said Tom.

"It's not a sound you normally hear indoors though is it ?" asked Dan.

"No, I guess not," agreed Tom. "It's a sort of warning I suppose."

"It's the best we've got," said Frank. "Well done you two," he said to Tom and Aneisha.

Frank got on the video link to Stella and updated her on their news. She cheered up considerably on hearing of some progress and promised to update the rest of MI9 with what they had discovered.

Not long afterwards, Stella was back in contact. She told them that MI9 had searched the same address again, and there was no sign of the chair or the Odysseus device. It had been removed, or left by itself.

We need to know if it's being controlled remotely or if it is autonomous," said Tom. "If we can monitor another attack, we might be able to work out how to disrupt its operation," he added.

"That will be highly dangerous," said Stella. "They seem to be getting more confident and aggressive."

"I think there are going to be further attacks regardless of what we do," said Frank. "We need to be ready to collect as much information as possible," he added. Reluctantly Stella had to agree. "Our next mission could be one where they attack again," said Frank. "Let's be ready for them !"

Dan hadn't wanted to return up to the school in the lift in case it left him with more clothing problems, but Frank persuaded him that the stairs would be too strenuous. He offered to come up with them and help out if needed. At the top, Dan's sling was once again on the wrong arm, but at least inside the blazer. They all helped him get sorted out before they headed off for classes. They chatted amongst themselves about the Odysseus device, although Dan didn't join in. He seemed to have become withdrawn since watching the video of the attack.

"I'm so glad that wasn't you," said Zoe, as they collected their things from their lockers at the end of the day.

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't so lucky !" said Dan rather bitterly. Zoe was puzzled.

"I don't understand," said Zoe. "Is everything alright Dan ?" she asked.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter," said Dan. "See you tomorrow," he said, collecting his bag and leaving.

"Oh, yes. Bye," said Zoe, watching Dan's retreating back. She had a feeling there was something he wasn't telling her.


	5. Chapter 5

Dan's secret. Apparently my cliffhanger was too much to bear for some readers, so I have decided to put up Chapter 5.

"_I don't understand," said Zoe. "Is everything alright Dan ?" she asked._

"_Yeah. Don't worry about it. It doesn't matter," said Dan. "See you tomorrow ?" he said, collecting his bag and leaving._

"_Oh, yes. Bye," said Zoe, watching Dan's retreating back. She had the feeling there was something Dan wasn't telling her._

The next day the team gathered with their classmates in Registration. Dan was yawning and looking like he'd hardly slept. "What were you doing last night ?" asked Tom. "You been playing computer games or something ?" Dan shook his head.

Next Aneisha came in and looked at Dan. "Is your sore arm keeping you awake ?" she asked. Again, Dan shook his head.

Zoe came in and smiled at him. He managed a thin smile in return. "You look tired," she said. "Are you having bad dreams ?" Dan looked down at his desk, but nodded slightly. "You could try telling someone about them. That helps me when I get bad dreams," suggested Zoe. Dan looked up at her.

"Do you get a lot of bad dreams ?" he asked.

"Not as many as I used to," she said. "They're mostly about being locked up and SKUL and stuff. You know," she said shrugging.

Frank called them down to base at lunch time. Dan took a deep breath, wondering what state his clothes would end up in as Aneisha reached over to pull the broom handle in the caretaker's cupboard. When the lift stopped he felt cold. Looking down he found himself dressed below the waist only. His broken arm was in its sling, but he had no shirt or jacket on. Too tired to protest, he walked wearily out of the lift with the others who were laughing.

Frank looked up at the sound of laughter and saw what had happened. "Oh, sorry Dan. I think the system's given up. I'll get you that T-shirt again," he promised, stepping into the dark area at the back of the room. He returned with the same baggy T-shirt Dan had worn before. Stifling her giggles, Zoe helped him to get it on. Dan sat in a chair shivering. Assuming he was cold, Frank threw a jacket round Dan's shoulders.

"Right, team, we have an assignment. I'm sure I don't have to tell you to maintain the utmost vigilance," instructed Frank seriously. "We've received intelligence of a possible attack on a secret government installation near here. You're going to be working undercover to reduce the possibility of attack. MI9 are providing agents to deal with the possible attack. Your job is to try to find the Odysseus device. Zoe and Aneisha, you are going to be working together on this. Tom has some gadgets to help you I think. Tom ?" Frank prompted.

Tom pulled a case from under the desk. "Yes, the technical department made these up for me. They're like the things workmen use to find electrical cables in walls so they don't drill through them. You run them across the wall," he said, handing two hand-held devices over to Aneisha and Zoe. "Or furniture, or whatever you think looks weird," he added.

"You are to stick together at all times, and try not to draw attention to yourselves," instructed Frank. "The main MI9 team are there to try to distract attention from you two. Good luck," he added.

Aneisha collected some disguises for herself and Zoe and then they left to find their transport to the secret installation. Frank turned to see that Tom had everything he needed for the monitoring. Tom was busy setting up connections as well as video feeds from the different agents. Frank decided to leave him to get on with it. He stood up and noticed Dan, still sitting in his chair shivering. It wasn't cold. Frank's instincts told him that something was wrong.

"Dan, why don't you come with me and we'll find you something warmer," Frank suggested. Dan got up automatically and followed him from the room. Tom didn't notice them leave. Frank lead Dan through to a room with a couple of sofas and some cupboards. Frank reached into a cupboard and pulled out a blanket. He told Dan to sit on the sofa and wrapped the blanket round him. Dan's tired eyes were staring into space ahead of him. Frank sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dan, what's the matter ?" he asked.

"I keep seeing them," whispered Dan. He was still shivering.

"Was it that video from yesterday which kicked it off ?" asked Frank. Dan nodded. Finally tears started to roll down his face.

"I keep seeing it over and over again," whispered Dan. "I'm so tired."

"I'm sorry Dan," said Frank. "Have you told any of the others about it ?" he asked.

Dan shook his head. "Zoe's got enough problems of her own," said Dan. "She needs me to be strong."

"You can't be strong all the time Dan. You've got to ask for help when you need it," said Frank gently. "It's the 90% rule."

"What's the 90% rule ?" asked Dan.

"It means that you can give yourself away 90% of the time, but you've got to keep 10% for yourself. Otherwise you fall apart and can't give the 90%," explained Frank. "You know you can speak to me anytime don't you ?" he asked. "I know you don't like to talk about these painful things, but sometimes you have to. Otherwise they will overwhelm you."

Dan nodded. "It's Lottie screaming. She .." Dan broke off, unable to speak, hugging himself. Frank wrapped his arm round Dan's shoulder and pulled him close. Dan sobbed into his shoulder. Frank realised that the video of the other agents being attacked had triggered appalling memories for Dan. Frank wished he'd talked to him before. Dan's own injuries would have left him vulnerable. Slowly the sobbing subsided and Dan leant exhausted against him.

"Come on, you should get some sleep," said Frank. He laid a couple of cushions at the end of the sofa and stood up so that Dan could lie down, still wrapped in his blanket. When Frank put another one over the top, Dan was already asleep.

Frank returned to the main room where Tom was testing some of his links with the other agents, and chatting to Aneisha and Zoe. Tom turned and asked, "Where's Dan ?"

"He's having a sleep," said Frank. "He's not slept well."

"Is he alright ?" asked Zoe over the comms link. "He looked really tired this morning. I think the clothes thing is getting him down too," she added.

"He'll be fine once he's had a rest," assured Frank, hoping he was right.

"We're nearly there now," said Aneisha. "We're getting into costume."

"What are you going to be ?" asked Tom.

"Decorators," said Aneisha. Tom looked round at Frank and frowned.

"They don't look anything like decorators," he whispered to Frank.

"I heard that ! We'll look exactly like decorators," said Aneisha, sounding annoyed. Tom winced and went back to his computer.

"I'm just going to have a word with Stella," Frank said to Tom and left for one of the side rooms.

Stella answered him straight away. "How is it going Frank ?" she asked.

Frank huffed. "Dan's going through a rough patch," he said. "After he watched that mission video yesterday he spent the night reliving the deaths of his parents and sister," he explained.

"It was always going to be a risk exposing him to this lifestyle," said Stella sympathetically. "The psychiatrists thought it might actually help him to get closure," she added.

"I know. He puts on a good show of invulnerability though," said Frank. "It's too easy to forget he's the most vulnerable one of them all."

"Where is he now ?" asked Stella.

"He's sleeping in the rest room," said Frank. "I'll see what he's like when he wakes up. I'd better get back. The mission is getting under way. I'll speak to you later Stella."

"Anytime Frank," she replied, smiling at him.

Frank was glad that he had someone to talk to for his 10%.


	6. Chapter 6

Don't look now. You could be sitting on a killer !

_The mission is getting under way. I'll speak to you later Stella."_

"_Anytime Frank," she replied, smiling at him._

_Frank was glad that he had someone to talk to for his 10%._

"They've arrived," said Tom. They could hear Aneisha's voice over the speakers.

"We're the decorators," Aneisha was telling a beefy security guard. Zoe was carrying a can of paint and some brushes and Aneisha had a toolbox filled with decorating equipment.

"You don't look like decorators," said the man, looking at them doubtfully. "You on a youth scheme or something ?" he asked.

"Apprenticeship," said Aneisha confidently. The man hesitated, but handed them both a passcard anyway.

"He was very suspicious," said Zoe when they were a safe distance away. "I was surprised when he let us in. We don't really look like decorators do we ?"

"The thing you've got to remember about security guards is that, the bigger they are, the thicker they are," said Aneisha. "Just keep walking," she added.

The two agents entered an office area, laid out with partitions and desks, just like the one where the other MI9 agents had been attacked. "Where do we start ?" asked Zoe.

"Are there any areas which look newly decorated or painted ?" asked Frank through their headsets. "How about furniture that looks out of place ?"

"We could split up and search the place more quickly," suggested Aneisha.

"No !" said Frank quickly. "You must stay together at all times. It doesn't matter if it takes twice as long. Just stay together !" he ordered.

"There's been some decorating over there," said Zoe, pointing to a section of wall with a couple of ladders, laid between with planks, standing in front of it. "Let's check it out," she suggested.

Aneisha and Zoe approached the wall. Zoe looked back as they heard shouting coming from the entrance area behind them. "It sounds like the others have arrived," said Zoe.

They put down their paint and tools near the wall, and started running the wire detectors over the surface trying to trace any possible equipment hidden in the wall. "I'm not getting anything, are you Zoe ?" asked Aneisha.

"Nothing so far," said Zoe. She heard a faint hiss behind her. Aneisha heard it too and they both spun round. "Tom, did you hear that ?" asked Zoe in a panic. Zoe and Aneisha stood back to back, turning round to get a better view of the room.

"Where did it come from ?" asked Aneisha, sounding scared.

"I think you should leave now," said Frank, his voice tense.

"Not yet. I want a piece of this thing !" said Aneisha. "Where is it ?" she asked, frustrated. "Come out, come out wherever you are !" she called out.

"Aneisha, what are you doing ?" asked Zoe. "Maybe we should act more normal. It might be tempted then," she suggested. Aneisha agreed. Still looking around them all the time, the two girls bent down and Zoe opened a can of paint with a screwdriver and Aneisha pulled out a roll of masking tape and a wallpaper scraper. "What are you going to do with those ?" Zoe asked Aneisha.

"I have no idea. I've never done any decorating," said Aneisha tensely. Zoe dipped a paint brush in the paint and lifted it up to the wall, absent-mindedly running the dripping brush up and down the wall, still looking around her all the time. "I take it you haven't done any either then," said Aneisha to Zoe.

"What do you mean ?" asked Zoe.

"You're painting a white wall with blue gloss paint," said Aneisha.

"Huh ?" Zoe looked round to the wall for the first time. Sure enough she had left a huge streak of thick blue paint on the wall. "Oops !" she said. The tension got to both of them at this point and they burst into laughter.

"What are we like ?" laughed Aneisha. Suddenly they both heard a loud hissing noise.

"Aneisha, Zoe, behind you !" shouted Tom over their ear pieces. Instantly they spun round in defensive positions, Zoe holding out the dripping paint brush and Aneisha the roll of masking tape and paper scraper. They gazed in astonishment as the step ladders pulled themselves together and started walking towards them.

"Split !" shouted Aneisha, and the two girls ran to either side of the ladders. It stopped and turned, starting to walk towards Aneisha. Aneisha started running backwards, waving the paint scraper at the ladder automaton. The ladders started galloping towards her like an alien giraffe.

Zoe ran and grabbed the can of thick paint. "Oy, ladder thingy !" she shouted. The ladders stopped and turned towards Zoe. She hurled the contents of the paint tin at the ladders. The paint coated the ladders, but it didn't stop moving.

"Zoe, grab this !" Aneisha shouted. She held one end of the masking tape and threw the roll across to Zoe. It rolled out as it flew through the air. Zoe grabbed the roll and ran round the ladders as it screeched to a halt again. The ladders swung one of the wooden planks at her but missed. The swing nearly knocked it off balance, which gave Aneisha an idea. "Zo, keep running round it with the tape. I've got some string too !" she yelled. Aneisha dived into her toolbox and pulled out some string. She tied one end of the string to a desk leg and then tossed the ball through the rungs of the ladder.

Zoe had run out of masking tape, which she had successfully wrapped round some of the ladder legs. She grabbed the ball of string and tossed it back to Aneisha. They dodged in and around the ladders, tossing the string through the ladder rungs. The hissing was getting more frequent and louder.

"Great idea you two !" said Tom's voice. "I think the paint is starting to get into the joints. It's slowing down."

Finally the string had run out, but it was wrapped all round the ladders. As the ladders tried to twist one final time to take a swipe at Zoe, the over-reach made it topple over and it crashed to the floor. Aneisha pulled out some duct tape from her bag and with Zoe's help wrapped it round the ladder legs, preventing the machine from getting back up, or hitting them.

"Brilliant ! Great work team !" shouted Frank, sounding absolutely delighted. "Tom, call in the backup. We need to get that machine before KORPS get hold of it."

In moments, the two panting MI High agents were surrounded by MI9 agents, who managed to immobilise the machine completely. The machine was loaded into the back of a van still whirring and buzzing and driven back to MI9 HQ.

Back in the MI High base, Dan walked blearily out into the main office to find Tom and Frank high-fiving one another.

"What's happened," asked Dan.

"We've caught one !" shouted Tom. "Well, Aneisha and Zoe have caught one," he said.


	7. Chapter 7

Beware. The walls have ears. Also eyes and deadly weapons. And some soft, fuzzy stuff.

"_What's happened," asked Dan._

"_We've caught one !" shouted Tom. "Well, Aneisha and Zoe have caught one," he said._

"Are they alright ?" asked Dan, sounding concerned.

"They're fine. They're on their way back," said Frank. "How are you feeling now ?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm fine," said Dan. He looked rather washed out, but calm.

The MI9 van carrying Zoe and Aneisha dropped them off near the school gates. They had to sneak in without being seen. Nobody noticed the metal rack which dropped from underneath the van as it sped off down the road.

When Zoe and Aneisha returned to base Tom handed round the biscuits. Even Dan took one. Frank was glad to see that he seemed to have cheered up having heard how the two girls had caught the step-ladder attacker.

"Good work team. You've got the weekend off now," said Frank.

"Can I get a shot at the device when Technical have finished with it ?" asked Tom. "I want to find out what's controlling it. We might be able to override it," he explained.

"I'll make sure you get a shot at it next week," promised Frank. Dan was staring at the lift.

"Come on Dan !" said Zoe. "We'll help you if you arrive naked," she promised. This was exactly the wrong thing to say. By the look on Dan's face, Aneisha guessed that he hadn't considered that possibility. For a moment it looked like they wouldn't be able to get him into the lift at all. He got in finally, but only once they all stood round him like a human shield.

Miraculously when the lift arrived at school level Dan found he was once more fully dressed, with everything in its correct place. Maybe things were starting to go right again. The end of day bell rang and they mingled with the rest of the students. Frank walked along beside Dan, holding a roll of bin bags. "Are you going to be OK this weekend Dan ?" Frank asked him. "Your foster parents know about your background. You can talk to them can't you ?" he asked.

Dan shrugged staring at the floor. For a minute, Frank thought that was going to be his only response. Then he finally said something. "It's just so hard to say the words Frank," Dan said quietly. "When I say the words, I can feel the flames and hear the screaming and I'm there again. I can't bear it."

Frank looked at him sympathetically. "I understand Dan. Take your time," he said.

Dan looked him in the face. "Thanks Frank," he said. Then he joined the others at the lockers, dropping off books and gathering their things. They waved to Frank and set off for home.

In the school yard Zoe stepped up beside Dan and slipped her arm round his waist. He looked surprised, but pleased and smiled at her. She squeezed his waist happily. "I'm glad I met you," she said. "You make me happy."

Dan thought that was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. Having got over the shock of watching an agent die on the video, he was feeling comfortably numb. Zoe's arm felt warm and comforting. It seemed totally natural to slip his arm round her waist too. Gazing happily into each other's eyes, they floated out of the school yard in a world of their own. Behind them, Aneisha and Tom were high fiving and punching the air.

Dan suggested they walk through the park. He had never noticed the flowers and stuff before, but they did look good with Zoe in front of them. "Do you have to be back at the MI9 foster home by a particular time ?" Dan asked her.

"Yes. I've got to be back by 4pm or they start looking for me," said Zoe. Dan nodded. It made sense. It was called a safe house for a reason after all. Unfortunately it was also a total pain. "Do your parents expect you back too ?" she asked.

Without thinking, Dan found himself saying, "They're not my parents. They're my foster parents. My family were all killed in an accident when I was ten."

Zoe stopped dead and stared at him in shock. "You've never said anything !" she said.

Suddenly tense again, Dan found himself opening and closing his mouth, but no sound was coming out. "I.. it's so hard," he tried to explain.

Then Zoe stood on her toes and kissed him on the mouth. "It's OK. I understand," she said. "Sometimes you say things and it reminds you of stuff you don't want to remember."

"Yeah, that's it," said Dan, looking at her gratefully. She kissed him again and this time he kissed her back, pulling her close with his one good arm. They lost track of time. Eventually Zoe realised she didn't have enough time to make it home and had to phone to say she was running late. Regretfully she said she would have to leave. Dan waved her off as she ran out of the park. Then he walked the rest of the way home with a soppy smile on his face.

On Monday morning Dan was walking into school when Tom sidled up beside him. "Well ?" asked Tom.

"Well what ?" asked Dan, puzzled.

"Well, how did it go with Zoe, dummy ?" asked Tom. "Did you go out ?"

"She has to be home by four o'clock or they organise a search party," said Dan glumly.

"Well arrange a date !" said Tom. "Then you can take as long as you like !"

"Hm. I might do that," said Dan. "Come on. You've got homework." Tom looked confused. "On the Odysseus thingy," Dan reminded him.

"Oh yeah. I can't wait to get my hands on that thing. It's amazing !" enthused Tom. He saw Dan's look and remembered what the machine had done. "Erm, well, what I mean is, erm .." he said.

"It's alright. I don't care if you enjoy taking it to bits. Just so long as you can work out how to stop the murderous things," said Dan.

They passed Mr. Flatley in the corridor. "Jolly useful these things, aren't they ?" he asked nobody in particular. "Funny thing is, I don't remember ordering one."

Tom disappeared down in the lift at break time. He had produced a note excusing him from PE which he had forged earlier. Dan was already excused PE and set off for the library. There was no point in him sitting in their base when he couldn't help Tom work on the Odysseus device. They would probably end up killing each other. It was time he caught up on some homework. He'd got behind because he'd been so tired in the evenings.

When he walked into the library, the librarian was fiddling with some new laptops on a wire rack in the corner. She looked round and smiled at Dan. He took a seat at one of the computer terminals and pulled out his exercise sheets.

Tom and Frank had a pile of electronic bits on the table and were sitting with their elbows resting on the table, staring at it. "We could activate it and see what happens," suggested Tom. Frank fetched a power supply and various leads and connectors. They connected it up, and measured a voltage in the device, but nothing happened. They stood and stared at it again. "Well, we've powered it up and it's still not doing anything. There must be another way of triggering it into action," said Tom.

The ones which attacked our agents just started working when they walked past," said Frank. "I wonder why this one doesn't just come to life as soon as it has power," he added.

"It hasn't got all of its bits has it ?" asked Tom. "MI9 Technical kept some of it didn't they ?"

"Well, it kept trying to hit them when they left the legs and arms on it," said Frank. "They had to take them off before they sent it here," he explained.

"No, there has to be some other way of getting it to start working," said Tom. "If we can work out what it is, we can probably work out how to disable them too. Come on Frank. We can work it out !"


	8. Chapter 8

Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

"_No there has to be some way of getting it to start working," said Tom. "If we can work out what it is, we can probably work out how to disable them too. Come on Frank. We can work it out !"_

In the girls changing rooms, Aneisha was grilling Zoe about the previous afternoon. It was hard work. She wasn't evasive. She simply didn't understand what Aneisha was asking her about.

"Well, how was it with Dan yesterday after school ?" asked Aneisha. It was always a good idea to be specific with Zoe. She didn't really get subtlety.

"Oh nice. We walked together," said Zoe.

"And, did he kiss you ?" asked Aneisha.

"Oh yes, eventually," said Zoe, smiling at the memory.

"Anything else ?" asked Aneisha. She couldn't believe they'd done nothing more than have a kiss. Although on previous experience, perhaps that was entirely typical.

"I had to go. I have to get back to the safe house by 4pm," said Zoe. She looked at Aneisha as though trying to make her mind up about something. "He told me something, but I'm not sure if I should tell you because it was really personal. I think he ought to tell you really."

Aneisha wasn't sure how to take this. Part of her desperately wanted to know the big secret, but another part thought that Zoe was probably right. Dan probably wouldn't want them to discuss his secrets behind his back. "Is it a real biggie ?" asked Aneisha. Zoe nodded and looked down.

"I don't know if I should have told you that really," she said, sounding worried.

Aneisha took pity on her. "It's OK Zoe. I won't say anything to Dan. He's not a guy who likes to talk, so I guess it's good that he managed to tell you something important." Zoe smiled at her in gratitude. "Can you promise me something though Zoe ?"

"Oh yes. Anything," said Zoe.

"Puleeeeeze will you ask that boy out on a date !" begged Aneisha. "It's killing us watching you two looking at each other. Go and see a film or go out to eat somewhere. Anything !"

Zoe looked slightly amused. "Oh, OK then," she said.

"You will ?" said Aneisha, beside herself.

"Yes. I want to kiss him again. It was nice," said Zoe.

The end of day bell rang and everyone started making their way out of the changing rooms ready to go home. Zoe and Aneisha checked around them and then headed for the caretaker's cupboard.

Tom and Frank were getting increasingly frustrated. "We've tried everything," complained Frank. "We've gone through all the radio frequencies, even microwaves. Nothing is working ! What are we missing ?" They sat together in their wheelie chairs, slumped back in defeat. The lift doors opened and Aneisha and Zoe came in.

"How's it going guys ?" asked Aneisha. "Not good huh ?" she asked when she saw how dejected they looked. Tom shook his head.

The floor under their feet vibrated as if a large lorry were going past outside. The only thing was that they were so far underground, no lorry ever did go past outside. They looked at each other in puzzlement. "What was that ?" asked Tom.

"Tom ! Look !" shouted Frank. The Odysseus device had sparked into life. Some small gears were turning and lights had come on. "They were low pitched sound waves. That's what sets it going !"

"Brilliant ! Let's see if we can switch it off then," said Tom. "Do you suppose anything will have recorded the frequency of those sound waves Frank ?" he asked.

Frank looked round the lab. "No, nothing I'm afraid. We'll just have to experiment." He dashed round pulling out bits of equipment and he and Tom set them up around the device. "Right, lets run through the lowest frequencies we can find and work up from there," said Frank. They set to work.

Dan had finally managed to complete his geography homework. It was painful since he never paid any attention in class. Oddly, finding information for himself to finish off the project was much more enjoyable. Maybe it was the teacher who was the problem. Mrs. Danby seemed to have trained her voice into a monotone. Now he had to do history. History was Mr. McNab's subject. There was no danger of drifting off in Mr. McNab's class. Dan got out some fresh paper and started searching for the information he needed on Tudor England. He was so deep in concentration that he didn't notice Mr. McNab come into the library and peer over his shoulder. Mr. McNab nodded in satisfaction when he saw what Dan was doing. He left him to his work and went over to speak to the librarian. After a brief conversation she left the room. Mc. McNab stood at the librarian's desk, waiting for her to return.

Dan had made a couple of notes about the Lord Chamberlain having to license Tudor plays when he felt the floor vibrate beneath his feet. It was as if a heavy lorry had driven past the building. The building was a long way from the road. He glanced around trying to work out where the rumble had come from and saw Mr. McNab doing the same.

Then he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. A long, low hissing noise filled the silent library. Dan looked round frantically, trying to work out where it had come from. Mr. McNab spoke. "Sounds like the central heating is on the blink again. I thought we'd finally got that sorted out," he said, walking towards one of the radiators in the room and fiddling with the thermostat. Dan stood up and started walking round the room, trying to look as if he was simply searching for a book.

Mr. McNab looked up at him and Dan nodded and smiled. Then he saw it. The new wire racking with the laptops on it had moved away from the wall. It seemed to be floating across the floor towards Mr. McNab. Dan dodged round the table and saw that it was on wheels. "Erm, Mr. McNab, watch out for that shelving !" warned Dan. Mr. McNab looked up and saw the shelving coming towards him.

"My God, what set that off ? We must have had an earth tremor or something. I'll push it back against the wall. Can you give me a hand ?" he asked. Then he glanced at Dan's sling and said jokingly, "Luckily, one will do !" Dan went to help him but as they both reached out for the shelving it swiped out at Dan viciously with one of the wire shelves. He dodged backwards. The two laptops on the middle shelf sprang open as if two huge eyes were staring at them. The shelves turned and started moving quickly towards Dan. He started jogging backwards.

"Hey, what the heck is that thing doing ?" demanded Mr. McNab, sounding shocked.

"Mr. McNab, you'd better get out of here !" shouted Dan. "I think it's dangerous."

"But it's just a bit of shelving," said Mr. McNab, looking totally confused. "Watch out !" he shouted as the shelf pushed Dan up against a desk. Dan jumped up on to the desk and had to leap up to avoid another swipe from the shelf. He needed to call Frank for help, but he couldn't pull out his pencil with Mr. McNab in the room watching him. His heavy plaster cast was putting him off balance and he couldn't move around properly. After a couple of weeks of inactivity, he also wasn't as fit as usual.

"Ow !" Dan cried out as the shelf made contact with his right shoulder. He quickly jumped backwards behind another desk and pushed a chair between him and the shelving. Then he had a brainwave. "Mr. McNab. Could you call Mr. London please ? He might be able to sort it out," he asked desperately.

"Yes. That's a good idea," said Mr. McNab. "He'll know what to do." He pulled out his phone and called a number. "Hello, Mr. London. We've got a problem with some shelves in the library. I don't really know how to explain it, but they seem to have gone berserk and they seem to be attacking Daniel Morgan," he said, not seeming to believe what he was saying himself. "You are ? Oh, thankyou. I'll see you in a …." he said and stared at the phone. "Mr. London is coming straight away," he told Dan. "Oh my …." he said. "Stop that now !" he shouted at the shelving which was charging round the room after Dan, who was desperately trying to get away from it. Each time he nearly made it to the door, the shelves would cut him off. Dan was getting tired.


	9. Chapter 9

Mr. McNab to the rescue !

"_Mr. London is coming straight away," he told Dan. "Oh my …." he said. "Stop that now !" he shouted at the shelving which was charging round the room after Dan, who was desperately trying to get away from it. Each time he nearly made it to the door, the shelves would cut him off. Dan was getting tired._

"Team, we need to get to the library !" shouted Frank. "There's another Odysseus machine in there. It's been activated by those sound waves and it's attacking Dan. Mr. McNab's in there too."

They all ran to the lift except Tom. "I should keep trying Frank," he said. "We need to be able to turn it off." Frank nodded his agreement. Then stopped, "Wait, we need some equipment," he said, dashing back into his lab and pulling out some rolls of duct tape and string. "These will have to do for now," he said. "Good luck Tom !" he called as the lift doors shut in front of them.

Tom turned to the pile of buzzing and whirring bits in front of him. "Come on ! What is the frequency ?" he demanded and started frantically running through all the possibilities on their equipment.

Dan was running backwards across the library floor one last time, when the shelving shot out a rod low down which stabbed him in the leg. He cried out, staggered and fell. Without thinking he lifted up his plaster cast over his head in an effort to protect himself from the swiping shelf that was bearing down on him. It crashed into the plaster cast and jarred his broken bone. The pain was excruciating and he screamed, his arm falling down on top of him. He rolled limply to the side, curling up instinctively against the pain.

He heard yelling and shouting as if from a great distance and caught a glimpse through a red mist of a furious Mr. McNab thrashing at the shelving with a metal chair. "Get off him, you, you thing you !" yelled Mr. McNab. Mr. McNab seemed to be getting the upper hand. Dan passed out.

Frank, Aneisha and Zoe charged through the library doors to see Dan motionless on the floor and Mr. McNab furiously thrashing at the shelving with the chair. "Duct tape !" instructed Frank. Zoe took the end of the tape and dragged it out as hard as she could while Aneisha held on to the roll. The tape was difficult to unwind and they struggled to get any length out. Seeing that Mr. McNab was being beaten back by the shelves they rushed forward and strapped the tape around the shelf. It tried to stab Zoe in the leg where it had caught Dan, but she was easily able to side-step the rod.

"Frank ! We need more tape !" shouted Aneisha. She tossed her roll through to Zoe who tossed it back. They managed to wrap up one of the shelf weapons, but the other one was still free. It narrowly missed Aneisha's head as she ducked swiftly out of the way. Frank threw them another roll of duct tape. He managed to lasso the shelf top with some cord and tried to tie it to a heavy desk. The shelving then simply dragged the desk behind it, making fighting it more difficult. Frank raised his arms in frustration. He threw another lasso and tied the shelving to another desk. This slowed it slightly. Seeing the shelving straining hard against the weight of the desks, Frank had an idea.

"When I say, jump out of its way !" he called to Aneisha and Zoe. He picked up two pairs of scissors and reached out to the two cords tying the shelf to the desks. "Three, two, one, now !" he shouted and cut both of the cords. Aneisha and Zoe jumped out of the way as the shelving crashed to the floor, suddenly unbalanced by the loss of drag.

Mr. McNab picked up his chair again and started beating the shelving. Aneisha picked up another chair and did the same. Zoe tried to get tape on to the stabbing bar which kept shooting out to hit them. Frank joined them and nobody noticed when Tom staggered into the room, hauling a large speaker. "Take that Odysseus !" he shouted, plugging in the speaker and touching a small remote control. A low pitched thrum ran through the room and the shelving instantly froze, and then collapsed immobile on the floor.

Mr. McNab froze, still holding a chair over his head, as did Aneisha. Zoe was holding out duct tape and Frank was trying to wrap a cord round the shelf. At this moment Mr. Flatley walked in. "Ah, the new shelving. I hope the librarian has found it useful," he said. "What are you all doing ?"

Frank thanked Tom for turning up just in time and started getting the wheels in motion. Taking advantage of Mr. McNab being distracted by Mr. Flatley, he called Stella and arranged for a clearup team to take the Odysseus device away and an ambulance for Dan. He knelt beside Dan and took his pulse, relieved to find that he was alright. He strapped some tape tightly round Dan's trouser leg to staunch the bleeding from the stab wound. The plaster cast had been broken in half by the blow it had taken. He couldn't see any other injuries.

Tom and Aneisha moved the speaker to one side in case it was needed to turn off the killer shelving again. Zoe angrily wrapped as much duct tape around the shelving as she possibly could. She was going to make sure it never hurt Dan again.

A shocked Mr. McNab was interrogating Mr. Flatley. "Where did you get that shelving from ? It attacked Daniel Morgan like a thing possessed !" he said.

"Well, I don't exactly know where it came from. I didn't order it. I just found it in the entrance hall this morning. I thought it would be rather handy in the library," said Mr. Flatley innocently. "Did you say, it attacked Daniel Morgan ?" he asked, confused.

"Yes. Look at him !" said Mr. McNab, furiously pointing to Dan's prone body on the floor. "It chased him all round the room, stabbed his leg and then smashed his broken arm."

"Oh my goodness. Is he alright ?" asked Mr. Flatley. Frank was still kneeling beside Dan, and told them that the ambulance was on its way. "I'm really not sure what we're going to put in the accident report," bumbled Mr. Flatley. "Erm, Mr. McNab, as you were here …." he said, smiling vaguely at his deputy before exiting the room swiftly.

Mr. McNab sat down on a chair suddenly. Zoe took pity on him and offered to get him a cup of tea, which he accepted with a vague nod of his head.

By the end of the day, Frank had persuaded Mr. Flatley to drive a dazed Mr. McNab home. The MI9 team had arrived and collected the killer shelving and taken instructions from Tom on how to turn it on and off. Dan had been taken to the MI9 hospital again by ambulance and Frank had driven Zoe home to make her curfew. "Well done team. I'll be in touch," he promised as they all went their separate ways.

It was nearly midnight before Frank was allowed in to see Dan, after his foster parents had left. The surgeons had operated on his broken arm, inserting pins to repair the damage done by the second Odysseus machine. His leg wound had been stitched up. He was lying in a hospital bed still wearing a breathing mask after his operation, looking drowsy from the anaesthetic and painkillers. A hospital gown was draped loosely over his shoulders and he was connected to numerous monitoring machines as well as various bags of fluids and dripping medication.

"Dan ?" Frank said quietly, sitting beside Dan's bed. "How are you feeling ?"

Dan looked over at him blearily, and grunted slightly. Dan's fringe had been pushed back from his face by someone. "You've got some pins in your arm now," Frank said gently. "They'll go with the ones in your legs. I hope you don't have to go through airport security," he said, smiling at Dan. "You'll have to tell them you're a terrible skateboarder. Nobody is going to believe the truth." This earned him a faint smile from Dan. "Did you see Mr. McNab ?" Frank asked him. Dan smiled and nodded slightly. "Wasn't he great ?" asked Frank. Dan's smile widened and then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Frank left the sleeping boy and yawning started making his way out of the MI9 medical wing. He passed a surgeon reading through a thick medical file. The man glanced up at him. "Are you Frank London ?" asked the surgeon. Frank nodded and the man gestured at the file in front of him. "I don't see many files this thick for such a young agent," he said. "He was treated here when he was ten ! Isn't that unusual ?"

"His parents were agents," explained Frank. "That's why they were all brought here. Only Dan survived."

"Only just," commented the surgeon. "Two broken legs, fractured pelvis, severe trauma," he said waving his hands over the file. "He was lucky to survive !"

"Sometimes, I think he's not so sure," said Frank sadly.

The surgeon nodded sympathetically. "Survivor's guilt. It was an accident wasn't it ?" he asked.

"No it wasn't. Dan doesn't know that, and he mustn't know," warned Frank.

The surgeon looked startled, but nodded. "I understand," he said, closing the file with a thud. "I think we both need some rest. Goodnight Agent London."

"Goodnight Doctor," said Frank as he left, sighing. He'd lost so many friends over the years, but others had paid much heavier prices than him.


	10. Chapter 10

The last chapter. I think this is called a Epilogue. A bit cheesy.

"_Goodnight Doctor," said Frank as he left, sighing. He'd lost so many friends over the years, but others had paid much heavier prices than him._

A full two weeks later, Dan joined his registration class again, with his new plaster cast. Zoe gave him her usual sunny smile and he got quick grins from Aneisha and Tom. They'd visited him in hospital and at home and their company had helped him get through the boredom and the pain. The long hours of lying in hospital reminded him too much of his recovery from the accident which had killed his parents and his little sister. He'd spent months in hospital then, knowing that nobody was coming to visit him. He knew what it was like to feel completely alone in the world. His connection with Zoe was one of deep understanding.

Taking his seat, Dan wondered what Mr. McNab would have to say about the latest 'incident'. There was no pretending that he'd had another skateboarding accident. Frank hadn't said what the school accident report had eventually explained about the killer shelving. With a wry smile on his face, Dan wondered whether Mr. McNab had eventually worked out how to explain Dan's injuries.

After registration he got his answer. Mr. McNab sidled up to him as he gathered his bags for his first class. "Daniel, I'm glad to see you well again," began Mr. McNab. "We were all very shocked about the faulty shelving falling on to you in the library," said Mr. McNab, giving Dan a meaningful look.

"Er, yes," said Dan. "Hopefully it won't happen again," he added, nodding meaningfully to Mr. McNab.

"Oh my God No !" said Mr. McNab, sounding horrified. "I'll never forget it."

"You were pretty handy with a chair Sir," said Dan quietly, smiling.

"Was I ? I was wasn't I ?" said Mr. McNab with a rare smile. "Nobody will ever believe it though."

"Probably for the best Sir," said Dan. "Bye Sir."

"Goodbye Daniel," said Mr. McNab.

Later that day they were called down to their base. Dan wasn't at all keen on getting into the lift with the others.

"Dan, it's OK," assured Aneisha. "Frank's worked on the system and he says it shouldn't give you any more problems. Come on !" Reluctantly Dan got in with the others, but closed his eyes as the lift descended. Satisfied they had come to a halt, he opened one eye and looked down at what he was wearing. Result ! Everything was in the right place once again. He looked up and found Frank and the team standing outside the lift, grinning at him.

"You didn't believe me did you ?" asked Aneisha. Sheepishly, Dan shook his head and stepped out of the lift.

"Welcome back Dan !" said Frank. They all stood in a circle and had a group hug. It was good to be back amongst friends.

Frank told Dan that while he'd been away there had been three more attempted Odysseus attacks on MI9 agents, but they had all been equipped with deactivators which made the devices useless. It looked like KORPS had now abandoned them.

Frank got a call about a broken photo-copier and had to leave. Tom dragged Aneisha away to torture her with his latest online gaming find. Dan found himself alone with Zoe.

They looked at each other, wondering what to say. Finally Zoe spoke. "Do you think you can tell me what happened ?" she asked. Immediately, Dan felt tense and his shoulders stiffened. Zoe must have realised he was uncomfortable and said, "It's alright. You don't have to tell me if you can't do it."

Dan thought for a second. Why couldn't he just tell her ? He just had to say the words. Dan took a deep breath, but he still couldn't look her in the eye as he told her what had happened. "We were on holiday, Mum, Dad, me and Lottie, my little sister. I was ten and she was eight. The car came to a steep hill and it wouldn't stop. Dad was trying to stop the car and Mum was shouting. Finally Dad tried to run it into a field to stop it, but it ran straight into a wall at the end. There was a huge bang, I woke up lying in the field. I couldn't move. Everything hurt. I looked up and the car was on fire. I could hear Lottie screaming, but I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything to help."

Dan stopped and wiped a tear off his face. He was glad he'd got it over with. She knew. He looked up and realised they all knew. Tom and Aneisha were standing staring at him with looks of shock on their faces. "Oh Dan !" said Zoe. She pulled him up into a hug and Tom and Aneisha joined her. Nobody knew what to say, so they said nothing.

At the end of the school day, Dan was once again walking out of the school yard, but this time it felt like some of the burden had been lifted. He didn't feel like he had to keep busy, just to get through the day. He felt someone come along beside him and smiled on seeing Zoe. This time he slipped his arm round her waist. "We'd better make good time if you're going to be back by 4 o'clock," he said. They walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"Zoe, I was wondering, if, well not today obviously, and probably not for a few days really, since I can't do an awful lot at the moment, but I was wondering if, if you weren't doing anything else, " he bumbled along.

"Ooh, can we go on a date then ?" asked Zoe.

"Yes, that was it, a date. Oh, you mean yes ?" said Dan, surprised.

"Yes, of course. I've never been to the cinema. Shall we go to see a film ?" asked Zoe.

"Okay. Yes, that would be great," said Dan, all smiles.

"Saturday ?" asked Zoe.

"Yes, Saturday," agreed Dan. That was easy. This time he walked her all the way home. Zoe got lots of kisses.


End file.
